I am the founder and president of the Business of Sports Network, a consulting and analysis firm which includes the The Biz of Baseball. Through the Business of Sports Network, research and analysis has been done for several clubs in MLB and the NBA, as well as work at a pro league level. Not content to work just on the management side, we have done work for several sports agencies. Other written work is at the freelance level for outlets such as Variety Weekly. I can be heard across the country as a radio guest each week, including a regular sports business segment on FOX Sports Radio Portland each Weds. My work has been sourced for analysis and commentary in the NY Times, Time Magazine, USA Today, Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, Washington Times, CNN/Money, MarketWatch, Crain's Business NY, Crain's Detroit Business, Crain's Business Chicago, The Deal, the Rocky Mountain News, Fox News, New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated.com, the NY Sun, South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Tampa Tribune, Toronto Globe and Mail, Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Sports Review, Pittsburgh Post Gazette, St. Petersburg Times, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, San Jose Mercury News, the Oregonian, the Portland Business Journal, Sports Fantasy Monthly magazine, and USA Today Sports Weekly. I look forward to your comments, and can be followed on Twitter via @BizballMaury.

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Donald Sterling May Have Cancer, NBA Committee Meets To Terminate His Ownership Of Clippers

On Tuesday, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced a lifetime suspension and the maximum fine the league could dole out to Clippers owner Donald Sterling for alleged incendiary comments he made to his girlfriend about African-Americans. As part of the recorded conversation, Sterling is heard to say of his own Clipper players, “I support them and give them food, and clothes, and cars, and houses,” Sterling said. “Who gives it to them? Does someone else give it to them? Do I know that I have — who makes the game? Do I make the game, or do they make the game? Is there 30 owners, that created the league?”

At the time of Silver’s announcement of Sterling suspension and fine, he said that he would urge the NBA Board of Governors to exercise its authority to force a sale of the Clippers, and with it, remove Sterling completely from all facets of the club’s ownership.

On Thursday afternoon, the first steps in that process occurred as the NBA Advisory/Finance Committee met via conference call to discuss the process for termination of Sterling’s ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers. A statement from the league said that, “The Committee unanimously agreed to move forward as expeditiously as possible and will reconvene next week.”

Of those committee members, many released statements publically condemning Sterling’s comments.

Jeanie Buss said, that Adam Silver “was decisive, firm and compelling and showed great leadership in his condemnation of the horrible and offensive comments that have led to this action.”

Glen Taylor of the Timberwolves said, “We stand unified with Commissioner Silver today and reaffirm our organization’s zero tolerance approach to the type of reprehensible behavior which caused this action.”

Micky Arison said of Sterling’s comments, “It’s unacceptable. It’s unacceptable in our league. It doesn’t matter if you’re white, black, Hispanic, whatever, all across the races. It’s unacceptable…. you just can’t have that in our league.”

An NBA committee met on Thursday to discuss removing him as owner of the Clippers while a report late that day says Donald Sterling has cancer.

To remove Sterling from the ownership of the Clippers would require 3/4 of the Board of Governors to approve such a move. Under Article 13 (Termination of Ownership or Membership) of the NBA Constitution and By-Laws, the NBA will likely use these clauses:

(a) Willfully violate any of the provisions of the Constitution and By-Laws, resolutions, or agreements of the Association.

and

(j) Willfully misrepresent any material fact contained in its application for Membership in the Association.

as grounds for the termination.

The process then becomes procedural.

Based on Article 15 (Procedure for Termination), any ownership member of the NBA or Commissioner Silver must make the charges in writing no later than three business days after the charges are filed, and a copy would be would be served to Sterling. Within five days after Sterling received the written charges he would need to respond in writing to the charges. Silver would then communicate the charges and answer to each of the owners of the NBA and a special meeting of the owners to hear the charges, would be held on a date not more than ten days after the filing of Sterling’s answer, due notice to be given. Should Sterling not answer to the charges within the five day period–or not appear at the hearing–would be deemed an admission of guilt. Sterling would be allowed to have counsel, but the NBA has its own set of rules regarding judgment. The Constitution reads, “Strict rules of evidence shall not apply, and all relevant and material evidence submitted prior to and at the hearing may be received and considered.”

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